741202 - Lecture SB 03.25.32 - Bombay
(Redirected from Lecture on SB 3.25.32 -- Bombay, December 2, 1974)
Nitāi: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. (devotees repeat) (leads chanting of verse, etc.)
- śrī bhagavān uvāca
- devānāṁ guṇa-liṅgānām
- ānuśravika-karmaṇām
- sattva evaika-manaso
- vṛttiḥ svābhāvikī tu yā
- animittā bhāgavatī
- bhaktiḥ siddher garīyasī
- (SB 3.25.32)
(break)
"Lord Kapila said: The senses are symbolic representations of the demigods, and their natural inclination is to work under the direction of the Vedic injunctions. As the senses are the representatives of the demigods, so the mind is the representative of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The mind's natural duty is to serve. When that service spirit is engaged in devotional service to the Personality of Godhead, without any motive, that is far better even than salvation."
Prabhupāda:
- devānāṁ guṇa-liṅgānām
- ānuśravika-karmaṇām
- sattva evaika-manaso
- vṛttiḥ svābhāvikī tu yā
- animittā bhāgavatī
- bhaktiḥ siddher garīyasī
- (SB 3.25.32)
Bhakti is transcendental even to mukti. People generally consider dharma, artha, kāma, mokṣa (SB 4.8.41, Cc. Ādi 1.90). In the beginning, dharma; artha, economic development; kāma, sense gratification; then mokṣa, merging into the supreme one. But bhakti is above that. Siddher garīyasī. It is above mukti. Mukti is not very much important thing for a bhakta. Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura says:
- bhaktis tvayi sthiratarā yadi bhagavan syād
- daivena phalati divya-kiśora-mūrtiḥ
- muktiḥ mukulitāñjali sevate 'smān
- dharmārtha-kāma samaya-pratīkṣāḥ
- (Kṛṣṇa-karṇāmṛta 107)
This is the experience of Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura. He was a South Indian Brahmin, very rich Brahmin. But by bad association or something like that, he became a very staunch prostitute hunter. So he engaged all his income, money, everything after one prostitute. Her name was Cintāmaṇi. So it is a very nice story. I am briefly describing. So one night . . . every night he was to go to that prostitute, and one night it was very terribly raining. So the prostitute thought, "Now this night Bilvamaṅgala is not coming. It is terribly raining." But Bilvamaṅgala went there, crossing the river, and the door was closed. He jumped over the door, catching a snake. In this way, very dangerously, he reached the prostitute's house. And the prostitute was astonished that, "How in this condition you could come here? Oh, you are so much attracted by this skin. If this much attraction you would have to Kṛṣṇa, how it would have been nice for you." So immediately he left the prostitute's house and went to Vṛndāvana.
The fact is in his previous life he executed devotional service up to bhāva-bhakti. So his Cintāmaṇi, that prostitute, became his guru, remind that "You are so much fond of prostitute. If this attraction would have been to Kṛṣṇa, how much successful you would have . . ." So it acted, and he left to Vṛndāvana and lived for seven hundred years. So he has a book, Kṛṣṇa-karṇāmṛta, Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura. That is recommended by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu for reading, Kṛṣṇa-karnāmṛta. So in that book he writes, bhaktis tvayi bhagavan yadi sthiratarā syāt: "If we have got fixed-up devotion unto You, my Lord, Bhagavān," then daivena sphalati divya-kiśora-mūrtiḥ, "then very easily we can see Your form," kiśora, divya-kiśora-mūrtiḥ, "Your divine form," kiśora-mūrtiḥ, "very young boy." Kṛṣṇa is always kiśora. Kṛṣṇa's another name is Kiśora. Kiśora-mūrtiḥ. Kiśora means kaiśora, before marriage, before . . . eleventh to sixteenth year. This is called kiśora age. So kiśora-mūrtiḥ. Kṛṣṇa is always kiśora-mūrtiḥ. So by devotional service, one can see the kiśora-mūrtiḥ of Kṛṣṇa very easily. Bhaktis tvayi sthiratarā yadi bhagavan syāt: "If it is possible, then very easily we can see You."
When Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura was in Vṛndāvana, he voluntarily plucked out his eyes. Because he was very much fond of seeing beauty of woman, so he thought, "These eyes are my enemies." So he personally plucked out his eyes. He was . . . when he was going to Vṛndāvana, still he became attracted by a woman, and therefore . . . that woman, of course, was a very rich merchant's wife. So she told her husband that "This man is coming after me. What to do?" So that merchant received him. "Oh, he's saintly person. All right, you serve her . . . serve him." So Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura came to his senses. He said: "Mother, you give me the pins of your hair. So I am so much after the beauty of woman, so let me pluck out the eyes." So he made voluntarily blind. So he could not see, but still, Kṛṣṇa was coming in Vṛndāvana. Kṛṣṇa is always in Vṛndāvana. So He was supplying milk. So divya-kiśora-mūrtiḥ, he practically realized through bhakti. Therefore he wrote by his personal experience, bhaktis tvayi sthiratarā yadi bhagavan syād daivena phalati divya-kiśora-mūrtiḥ. And so far dharmārtha-kāma-mokṣa (SB 4.8.41), mokṣa, muktiḥ mukulitāñjali sevate asmān: "Mukti is not very important thing. She is always standing at my service," mukulitāñjali, "with folded hands, Mukti: 'My dear sir, what can I do for you?' " This is mukti's position.
So a devotee is not very much anxious for mukti because a devotee is always mukta. He is already mukta. Why should he . . . suppose if you have got millions of dollars, why should you hanker after ten rupees? So bhakti is such a nice thing. But what is that bhakti? That bhakti is animittā bhāgavatī. That bhakti should be animittā, not with a motive that, "I shall go to the temple and serve Kṛṣṇa for this purpose." Kṛṣṇa can fulfill any purpose you desire. It is not very difficult for Him, because He is almighty, full with all opulences. So if you want something, material happiness, from Kṛṣṇa, it is not very difficult for Kṛṣṇa. He can give you mukti. But to ask from Kṛṣṇa anything else than bhakti is foolishness. That is foolishness. My Guru Mahārāja used to give this example: just like if you go to a rich man and he says: "Now, whatever you like, you can ask from me. I shall give you," then if you ask him that "You give me a pinch of ash," is that very intelligent? Similarly, to . . . there is a story, that one old woman in the forest . . . I think it is in Aesop's Fable or somewhere. So she was carrying a big bundle of dry wood, and somehow or other, the bundle fell down. It was very heavy. So the old woman became very much disturbed, "Who will help me to get this bundle on my head?" So she began to call God, "God, help me." And God came, "What you want?" "Kindly help me to get this bundle on my head." (laughter) Just see. God came to giving benediction, and she wanted to, "Give this bundle again on my head."
So we are doing the same thing. When we go to God we ask Him, "Kindly give me the bundle on my head. My family become . . . may happy. I may have a large amount of money to enjoy material things." We ask that. That is our foolishness. Caitanya Mahāprabhu teaches us, therefore, that actually, if you want something from God, that should be only begging for His service. This Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra means addressing God, "Kṛṣṇa," "Hare," and His energy Harā, Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī or Lakṣmījī, Hare: "O this internal potency of Kṛṣṇa . . ." Harā is Kṛṣṇa's internal potency. The external potency is Durgā, and the internal potency is Rādhārāṇī. Jaya Rādhe. So this is daivī-prakṛti. Mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ (BG 9.13). The devotees, they take shelter of the daivī-prakṛti, Rādhārāṇī, Lakṣmījī. They worship, therefore, Vaiṣṇava, Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, Lakṣmī-Nārāyaṇa, Sītā-Rāma, the first of all the energy. The energy. So this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra is first addressing the energy, the internal energy, potency, of Kṛṣṇa. Hare. From Harā to Hare. That is the sambodhana. So Hare Kṛṣṇa: "O Rādhārāṇī, or Lakṣmī, or Sītā, and Kṛṣṇa, or Rāma, or Nārāyaṇa"—the same thing. Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, addressing Them, "O my Lord, O my Lord's energy."
So when you address somebody, you want to ask something. So if they reply, "Yes, why you are calling?" then we're calling, "Please engage me in Your service." This is the prayer, not that, "Give me money" or "Give me beautiful wife" or "many followers." This is material hankering. Everyone wants some prestigious position, lābha, pūjā, pratiṣṭhā, some material profit, lābha, and prestigious position so that people will give him salaam, minister, president, and to become very famous, historically very famous. These are material hankerings. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu says: "No." Na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ kavitāṁ vā jagadīśa kāmaye (CC Antya 20.29, Śikṣāṣṭaka 4). We don't want. This is animittā bhakti. Nimittā, for some certain reason, if you become a bhakta, then you are not a śuddha-bhakta. You are a viddha-bhakta, a polluted bhakta. Pure bhakti is anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam (Brs. 1.1.11), zero. Material hankerings, anything material hankering, should be void.
The void philosophy, nirvāṇa, that indicates that you should completely finish these material desires. That is Lord Buddha's philosophy, nirvāṇa. Nirvāṇa means material desires, to make it void, no more. Lord Buddha said up to that. Because the people who were following him, they were not so expert, advanced; therefore he did not say what is after giving up every desires. Because desireless it cannot be. Desires . . . people say that, "You become desireless. Give up your all desires." That give up all desires means you give up your material desires. Because you cannot be desireless. Then you are dead body. But we are eternal living entity. Nityaḥ śāśvato 'yaṁ na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). We are getting different types of body on account of different desires. So I become desireless of this habit; then I desire another habit. So that is going on.
So desireless is not possible. Desirelessness means you have to purify your desire. Don't desire anything except the service of Kṛṣṇa. That is desirelessness, animittā. Animittā bhaktiḥ siddher garīyasī. If you come to that position . . . as Caitanya Mahāprabhu, teaching us, na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ kavitāṁ vā jagadīśa kāmaye, mama janmani janmanīśvare . . . (CC Antya 20.29, Śikṣāṣṭaka 4). He says, janmani janmani, "birth after birth." That means He does not require even salvation, because salvation means apunar bhava-janma, no more janma, no more birth. No more birth—there are two kinds of no more birth. For the Māyāvādīs, or impersonalists, they want to stop birth, to merge into the existence of the Supreme, brahma-nirvāṇa. Brahma-nirvāṇa . . . the Buddha philosophy teaches nirvāṇa, devoid of all material desires, that much. He does not give any more. Śaṅkarācārya gives further, more, that brahma-nirvāṇa that, "You become desireless of this material world, but you enter, merge into Brahman." That is called brahma-nirvāṇa. And the Vaiṣṇava philosopher says that, "You make null and void all your material desires, enter into Brahman and be engaged in the service of the Lord." This is called bhakti. So brahma-nirvāṇa is also siddhi, but more than that siddhi is to be engaged in the service, Brahman service.
That service is not ordinary service. The service to the Lord is not to be calculated as equal to this material service. The Māyāvādī philosopher, they cannot understand it. But Kṛṣṇa says personally that this devotional service is in the transcendental platform, Brahman service. Therefore He says, māṁ ca 'vyabhicāreṇa bhakti-yogena yah sevate. This bhakti-yoga, one who is actually employed, engaged in pure devotional ser . . . animittā, without any motive, without any material purpose, that is real spiritual service.
- māṁ ca 'vyabhicāreṇa
- bhakti-yogena yah sevate
- sa guṇān samatītyaitān
- brahma-bhūyāya kalpate
- (BG 14.26)
Brahma-bhūyāya kalpate. That service is on the Brahman platform.
So some people, they do not know that there is another platform of service or another platform of activities, which is called Brahman activities. Because those who are grossly in the bodily concept of life, they have no information there is Brahman, or soul, within this body. So mukti means to deliver that Brahman from this material encagement. But actually, if you don't give him engagement . . . because actually the soul is working. That everyone can appreciate. We are very active. "Oh, I am prime minister," "I am president," "I am Birla," "I am Śrīla . . ." and so many things. That's all right. But is . . . is that prime minister is this body or the soul? Because as soon as the soul is out of the body, what is the value of this prime minister's body? It is no more useful—finished. That we do not understand. Actually, the soul is working in different capacities. Either as prime minister or Lord Brahmā, King Indra or the cat or dog or the insect; the soul is working in different atmosphere, in different body.
So the perfection of these activities, of the soul, that he has got already indriyas . . . we are acting with our hands, legs, ears, eyes, nose, everything, karmendriya. Ten kinds of activities are being performed by the senses, and there are five kinds of sense objects, tanmātra, fifteen, and the eight elements material—earth, water, fire . . . so fifteen and eight, twenty-three, and the soul, this is twenty-four. That is the subject matter of Sāṅkhya philosophy, how these twenty-four different items are combined together and work. This is the study of Sāṅkhya philosophy. Yesterday we talked about sāṅkhyam. Tattvāmnāyaṁ yat pravadanti sāṅkhyam. So there is material Sāṅkhya philosophers. They simply satisfied, simply studying these twenty-four types of elements. But the real Sāṅkhya philosophy, as propounded by Kapiladeva, that is bhakti. That is . . . he has said, bhakti-vitāna-yogam. The activities of the spiritual field, that is Sāṅkhya philosophy, not of the material fields. In the material field you will find these twenty-four kinds of elements analyzed, but beyond these twenty-four there is soul, and the soul is acting. That is called spiritual activities, or bhakti-yoga.
So because it is transcendental to material activities, then therefore in the bhakti-yoga there is no such desire for material benefit, animittā. Therefore it is said, animittā. Here all activities are done for some material profit. Nobody is . . . even the so-called political leaders sacrifice everything. That's all right. But everything is for material benefit. Even in our country, a big man like Mahatma Gandhi, he sacrificed everything—his family, his profession. And many other leaders. But what for they were working? They were working for some material benefit, that's all, not for any spiritual benefit. So that is not transcendental activities. That is material activities, expanded material thoughts. Somebody is working for his family or somebody is working for himself, like animals, the cats and dogs, they work for himself. And human being, they're little advanced: they work for family, for wife, children, or, further extended, for society, for community, for nation. You can expand, even international. They are all material activities, nimittā, simply expanded, expanded. Suppose if you steal for yourself and if you steal for your family or if you steal for your community, that stealing is there. Because you are stealing for greater family, that does not mean that you are not a thief.
There was a story, Alexander and the thief. The Alexander arrested one thief, big dacoit, plunderer. So when he explained, "My dear sir, Alexander, so what is the difference between you and me? I am also plunderer, you are also plunderer. I am a small plunderer, you are a big plunderer. So where is the difference in quality?" So Alexander the Great, he was very sensible. He released him, "Yes, there is no difference." So to become a big thief, big plunderer, does not mean that he is advanced. Similarly, our sense, for personal sense gratification or my family's sense gratification or for my nation's sense gratification—that is sense gratification; that is not spiritual activity. That is material activity.
So long you will have desire for sense gratification, localized or expanded, the quality does not change. The quality will change when this sense gratification will be transferred to Kṛṣṇa, not sense gratification for me, for my family, for my society, for my nation, or for my species. Just like there are many philanthropists. They are busy doing welfare activities for the human race, but they are not interested for the benefit of the animal race. "Animal race should be slaughtered, and human race shall eat." This is their philosophy. But we have already discussed Kapiladeva's philosophy, suhṛdaḥ sarva-dehinām. Suhṛdaḥ sarva-dehinām. The animal has got also body; we have also got body. But a Vaiṣṇava is not only a friend to the human society, but he is friend to the animal society also, the bird society, tree society, every society. A Vaiṣṇava does not like unnecessarily a tree should be cut down. That is Vaiṣṇava philosophy. A Vaiṣṇava does not like to trample over an ant. That is Vaiṣṇava philosophy. Sarva-dehinām. Titikṣavaḥ kāruṇikāḥ suhṛdaḥ sarva-dehinām (SB 3.25.21). We have already discussed this verse.
So how this can be possible? This suhṛdaḥ sarva-dehinām is possible when one has surrendered himself to the Supreme Being. On His account, because he has surrendered to the Supreme Being, he is friend to all living being. Artificially you cannot. Artificially you select some section, the poorer section, and worship him like Nārāyaṇa, and you call him daridra-nārāyaṇa. But a devotee, if he has got vision of Nārāyaṇa, he will see the daridra-nārāyaṇa, the rich Nārāyaṇa, the chāga-nārāyaṇa and the every Nārāyaṇa, paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ (BG 5.18). Why a section should be called Nārāyaṇa? If you have got such broader vision that you are seeing Nārāyaṇa in everything, then what the rich man has done? He is also Nārāyaṇa. And the goat has . . . He is also Nārāyaṇa. The cow, he is also Nārāyaṇa. Then you should . . . if you have such broader vision that you see everywhere Nārāyaṇa, then why should you specify a section, daridra-nārāyaṇa?
So it is not possible. So long one is not a devotee, one who is not on the transcendental platform, this equal vision is not possible. It is crippled, all crippled. Therefore bhakti-yoga should be animittā, ahaitukī. These words are used. Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje, ahaitukī (SB 1.2.6). "I am serving Kṛṣṇa . . ." The devotee is serving Kṛṣṇa not with any purpose; just to satisfy Him, not any purpose my profit—Kṛṣṇa's profit. That is the instruction of Bhagavad-gītā. I . . . several times we have repeated. Arjuna, on his own account, he was not willing to fight. "No, no, Kṛṣṇa, I will not fight. The other side, they are my relatives, my brother, my nephews. No, no, I cannot kill them." But when he understood that "Kṛṣṇa wants this fight," he said: "Oh, yes, I shall do." Kariṣye vacanaṁ tava (BG 18.73). So this is bhakti, that we have to do anything for pleasing Kṛṣṇa. That is called animittā, "no condition." Ahaitukī. Ahaitukī means no condition or animittā, no reason. Everything should be done for Kṛṣṇa.
So animittā bhāgavatī bhaktiḥ siddher garīyasī. That is better than siddhi. Siddhi means self-realization or Brahman realization. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says also. What Kṛṣṇa says and what Kapiladeva says, they are the same thing. Therefore here it is also said, bhagavān uvāca. And in the Bhagavad-gītā also you will find, bhagavān uvāca. Never said kṛṣṇa uvāca or kapila uvāca, because They are Bhagavān. So those who are self-realized soul, who know what is Bhagavān, so instead of speaking kapiladeva uvāca, he says, Vyāsadeva says . . . Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is compiled by Śrīmad Vyāsadeva. So as Bhagavad-gītā also, it was heard by Arjuna, it was released to Sañjaya, and then, from Sañjaya heard Vyāsadeva, and he made it recorded in writing in Mahābhārata . . . so he says, bhagavān uvāca. Bhagavān uvāca means that is the perfect version. There is no mistake. If some ordinary man says, there will be so many defects and cheating, because ordinary person has no perfect knowledge. He may be very, very advanced scholar, but that does not mean he is perfect. Perfection is different thing. Perfection means there should be no mistake, no illusion, no cheating and no imperfections of the senses. That is perfection. And therefore it is said here, bhagavān uvāca. Bhagavān is all-perfect. Therefore we should take knowledge from Bhagavān or one who speaks according to the version of Bhagavān. We should not hear anybody else. That is imperfect.
So our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement on this principle. We are speaking not anything manufactured by us. That is not our business. Because how we can manufacture? We are defective. We are deficient, imperfect. What is the use of my philosophy? What is the use of my thinking? Generally they say: "I think," "In my opinion." He does not think that, "I am a rascal. I have no value of my opinion." He thinks that he is something very big. No. Because our senses are imperfect, whatever knowledge we have gathered by our sense speculation, that is imperfect. That cannot be perfect. Therefore we have discussed already, tattva āmnāyam. We have to receive knowledge from disciplic succession, tattva. Then we will understand the truth. Tattvām. This subject matter we have discussed already, āmnāyam, evaṁ paramparā, that we should not manufacture knowledge. We should take knowledge from the perfect. Just like here it is said, bhagavān uvāca. In the Bhagavad-gītā also, bhagavān uvāca. If we follow this āmnāya system, then we become guru.
Caitanya Mahāprabhu has said who is guru. He asked everyone to become guru. His mission is that people are suffering all over the world for want of this Kṛṣṇa consciousness, or God consciousness. That's a fact. So He is advising everyone, especially those who are born in India:
- bhārata-bhūmite manuṣya-janma haila yāra
- janma sārthaka kari' kara para-upakāra
- (CC Adi 9.41)
That is His mission. He is requesting every Indian, every Indian, because they have got the facility for understanding what is Bhagavad-gītā, what is Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, what is Vedas. They have got this opportunity. Therefore He says, janma sārthaka kari': "You have taken your birth in India. You make your life successful by taking advantage of these scriptures, and then assimilate the knowledge and preach all over the world." They are in darkness. That is being repeatedly said. But we are not taking advantage of. We are so misfortunate. We are misguided by the so-called leaders that we are neglecting this valuable literature which is spoken by Bhagavān. We are talking of some nonsense. That is our misfortune. So we have to take knowledge from Bhagavān and spread it all over the world. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's . . . so He says that, "You become guru." He says, āmāra ājñāya guru hañā (CC Madhya 7.128): "By My order." Don't become a so-called guru, manufactured guru. "You become guru by following My instruction." Āmāra ājñāya guru hañā.
Guru means who follows the predecessor, authorized predecessor. He is guru. Not that everyone is guru. So therefore we have to follow the superior order. Then we become guru, not that by cheating others we become guru. No. That is cheater. That is not teacher. Guru means who is following the superior order. The superior order is Kṛṣṇa or His representative. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu is Kṛṣṇa. He is ordering, āmāra ājñāya, "By My order," guru hañā, "you become guru." "Sir, it is very difficult to become guru. I have no education. I have no culture. I am not born in a very high family. I am very low." A devotee always thinks like that. He never thinks that, "I have become very great man." Just like Caitanya-caritāmṛta, author of, he says, purīṣera kīṭa haite muñi se laghiṣṭha (CC Adi 5.205). Purīṣa, purīṣa means stool, and there are worms in the stool. So Caitanya-caritāmṛta author is saying that, "I am lower than the worms in the stool." That is Vaiṣṇava conception. Tṛṇād api sunīcena. He is very humble. He never says: "Oh, I am the Supreme. I have become God." A most rascal, foolish. So that is not . . . therefore we have to follow. If we actually want to become guru, there is necessity of many thousands of gurus to teach this cheated public. But how to become guru? That is . . . Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, āmāra ājñāya: "By My order." "What is Your order, Sir?" Now, yāre dekha, tāre kaha 'kṛṣṇa'-upadeśa (CC Madhya 7.128). Then you become guru. You simply advise people to follow Kṛṣṇa's instruction. Then you become guru.
So that is our mission. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is that we are simply trying to convince people what Kṛṣṇa has said, that's all. We are not manufacturing anything. So that is our business. Kṛṣṇa says, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). We are training our disciples, "Just always think of Kṛṣṇa, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and become Kṛṣṇa's devotee, offer Him prasādam, dress Him nicely." Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī: "Worship Me." Worship Kṛṣṇa, the same thing. Kṛṣṇa says, "Worship Me"; we are saying: "Worship Kṛṣṇa." Kṛṣṇa says, "Surrender unto Me"; we are saying: "Surrender to Kṛṣṇa." So we have no difficulty. To become a guru there is no difficulty, provided we repeat the same thing as Kṛṣṇa says. And if you say something more or less, then you are not a guru. Very simple thing. Very simple thing.
So that is advised here, animittā bhāgavatī, bhāgavatī bhaktiḥ. You cannot manufacture the ways of bhakti. Bhāgavatī, what is advised by Bhagavān, the Supreme Lord. Dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam (SB 6.3.19). You cannot manufacture a line of dharma. Dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam. Dharma is the law given by the Supreme Lord. You cannot manufacture, "This dharma, that dharma, this dhar . . ." No. Dharma is one. Dharma cannot be different. Dharma means to abide by the orders of God. This is dharma. But if you do not know God, if you do not know what is order, then you must manufacture something rubbish and fight amongst yourself. That is not dharma.
Therefore Bhāgavata says, dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo 'tra (SB 1.1.2): "All cheating types of dharma is rejected and kicked out from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam." Dharmaḥ projjhita. Projjhita, prakṛṣṭa-rūpeṇa ujjhita, just like you collect all dust and throw it. Similarly, this Bhāgavata-dharma is not a cheating dharma. Bhāgavata-dharma means in relation with the Supreme Lord. Bhāgavatī bhaktiḥ. Bhakti can be applied only to Bhagavān. Bhakti means the business between Bhagavān and bhakta. That is bhakti. If there is no Bhagavān, then where is bhakti? And where is bhakta? If Bhagavān is zero, then where is bhakti? Bhakti means the transaction between Bhagavān and bhakta. Just like here, the Bhagavān is there, and bhaktas are there, and the transaction is dressing the Bhagavān, feeding the Bhagavān, chanting the Bhagavān's name, calling people to hear about Bhagavān, to publish books about Bhagavān. This is bhakti, bhakti-bhāgavatī, simply in relation with Bhagavān, no other business, animittā, without any material desire. Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam (Brs. 1.1.11). There is no touch even of jñāna. Jñāna means speculation. And trying to understand the Absolute Truth by his men . . . (break)
- jñānaṁ me parama-guhyaṁ
- yad vijñāna-samanvitam
- sa-rahasyaṁ tad-aṅgaṁ ca
- gṛhāṇa gaditaṁ mayā
- (SB 2.9.31)
These are the instruction of Lord Brahmā . . . Lord Kṛṣṇa to Brahmā. Sa-rahasyaṁ tad-aṅgaṁ ca. Aṅga, this bhakti-aṅga, this śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam (SB 7.5.23), these are different, I mean to say, branches, or not actually branches, different phases or features of bhakti, to hear just like we are hearing and chanting. I am speaking, chanting; you are hearing. This is bhakti. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam. What we are chanting and hearing? Viṣṇu, not any other one. No. Viṣṇu. Viṣṇu. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ. You cannot say any other demigod. No. That is material. That is material. If you try to hear about some great person or demigod, that is material. But when you hear and talk about Viṣṇu, that is bhakti. This is bhakti, different processes. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam (SB 7.5.23).
So in this way we have to execute, as it is said, animittā bhāgavatī bhaktiḥ (SB 3.25.32), which is siddher garīyasī . . . (break) (end)
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